Gathering arm for underground loaders



June 3, 1958 H. M. ALBERS GATHERING ARM FOR UNDERGROUND LOADERS Filed March 27, 1956 FIG. I.

FIG. 2.

FIG.3.

INVENTOR HAMILTON M. ALBERS ATTORNEY United States Patent GATHERING ARM FOR UNDERGROUND LOADERS Hamilton M. Albers, Palos Heights, IlL, assignor,' by mesne assignments, to Poor & Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application March 27, 1956, Serial No. 574,266 A 1 Claim. (c1. 198--10) This invention relates to coal loaders and the like and more particularly to an improved gathering arm for sweeping loose material onto a conveyor from a pick-up apron or gathering head in a mining operation, as shown for example in Patent No. 1,445,088, dated February 13, 1923.

Heretofore, arms of this type have been made in rights and lofts and have also involved a multiplicity of parts, such for example as a number of removable and replaceable spikes or teeth. Aside from the fact that special arms had to be made for their particular location on the machine, the teeth or spikes would work loose and enter the material stream and cause damage to crushing equipment or otherwise interfere with further processing of the material.

Accordingly, the objects of the invention are to provide a gathering arm which is universal in the sense that one type of arm will be suitable for use at either the right or left-hand side of the machine; there will be no spikes to workout or replace; the arms will be cheaper to produce because costly core and cleaning work are eliminated; and the number of parts to be handled and stocked will be cut in half therebyeffecting further economy in transportation and storage.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved arm.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the arm shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4'4 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

As will be seen from Fig. 1, the arm includes a body designated generally as A and a tip B. The body A has a flat top wall 1, parallel side walls 2--2 whose front ends join with the slightly converging tip faces 33 terminating at the relatively squared off front edge 4.

In Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the bottom wall 2,837,197, Patented June 3, 1958 of the body is provided with a transverse rib 5 inwardly of the rear end 6. This rear end is also formed with a slot 7 for receiving a pin or bolt forming part of the standard operating means, as shown in the patent aforesaid. Said slot pierces the flat side walls 2-2 and its axis is parallel with the top wall 1.

The forward Wall of the rib 5 joins with a pair of spaced forwardly tapering ribs 89 which leave the space or channel C shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The fioor of the channel is parallel with the top wall 1. Where the forward ends of the forwardly tapering ribs feather off to infinity, the bottom face of the tip B is inclined upwardly as shown at 10.

The top wall 1 is formed with a linear series of integral cones 11 having their axes parallel but inclined forwardly, and of progressively diminishing altitude so that the largest cone is toward the rear of the body and the smaller one is toward the tip. This insures that the arm in its areuate movement will effectively gather and move the material toward the rear of the apron over which the arm sweeps in oscillating fashion, and ultimately work all of the material to the usual conveyor for removal from the site of digging or mining operations.

As the major side walls 22 of the body are straight instead of curved it will make no difference whether the arm of the present invention is mounted at the right or the left of the machine. Moreover, the integral cone type spikes will not work loose and if they become unduly worn to the point of impairing the ehiciency of themachine, they may be readily retipped or built up by welding hard surfacing material thereto.

From theforegoing it will be seen that the present invention removes not only the hazard of displaced teeth or spikes to machinery being supplied by the loader, but also makes replacement when required a simple and practical matter from the reasons heretofore stated.

I claim:

A material gathering arm for universal use at either the right or left side of a mine loader conveyor, comprising, a body, a flat top wall, spaced alined integral conical teeth on said flat top wall, parallel side walls on the body pierced at their rear end by a fastening receiving slot, a bottom wall, a transverse rib on said bottom wall, laterally spaced ribs extending forwardly and upwardly from the transverse rib, a tip including a por- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,628,985 Joy May 17, 1927 2,392,697 Russell et a1. Jan. 8, 1946 2,696,288 Ball Dec. 7, 1954 

